Beyond the horizon...

Obama Calls for 1M Plug-ins on US Roads by 2015 4 August 2008 In a speech in Lansing, Michigan, Senator Barack Obama outlined a broad energy plan
that included a number of policy elements specifically related to transportation and fuel, among them the goal of putting 1 million plug-in electric
vehicles on US roads by 2015. (Conventional hybrids, which appeared on the US market in 1999, passed the one-million sales mark in 2007. Earlier
post.) As part of the focus on plug-in, Obama’s plan calls for offering consumers a $7,000 tax credit for the purchase of such advanced technology
vehicles as well as conversion tax credits; for converting the entire White House fleet to plug-ins “as security permits” within a year of an
Obama Administration coming to office; and committing to requiring half of all cars purchased by the federal government be plug-in hybrids or
all-electric vehicles by 2012.

Yes, we have been living in the present. It's time we make a nest for our children; one that is ecofriendly and can withstand the tumultuous times
ahead. The more we keep relying on oil the more we continue to destroy our children's, children's world not just ours.

Here is a news article that talks about both candidates possible energy
policies.

I have chosen two excerpts that I find pertains to my thread. (You should read the entire article to get a more nonbiased view.)

Obama's reversal on tapping the emergency oil stockpile is his second shift on energy issues in recent days. On Friday he dropped his blanket
opposition to offshore oil drilling and signaled he would be open to limited drilling as part of a compromise energy package in Congress aimed at
reining in prices. But Obama said in Michigan that oil companies should first focus on drilling on 68 million acres to which they have access but
have not touched.

Obama is really trying to make the best eco-friendly decisions whilst understanding the immediate need and relief from our current situation. I trust
that his decisions are for our well being.

"We have to make a serious, nationwide commitment to developing new sources of energy and we have to do it right away," Obama said in Lansing,
Michigan.

Quite a few people believe that if there is a decline in oil production, we can make up much of the difference by increasing our use of
electricity--more nuclear, wind, solar voltaic, geothermal or even coal. The problem with this model is that it assumes that our electric grid will be
working well enough for this to happen. It seems to me that there is substantial doubt that this will be the case.

The U.S. power transmission system is in urgent need of modernization. Growth in electricity demand and investment in new power plants has not
been matched by investment in new transmission facilities. Maintenance expenditures have decreased 1% per year since 1992. Existing transmission
facilities were not designed for the current level of demand, resulting in an increased number of "bottlenecks," which increase costs to consumers
and elevate the risk of blackouts.

I appreciate your response. I am no expert on the electrical grid but I would hope that the powers that be wouldn't blindly plunge us into a system
to which we would constantly endure blackouts. I should hope that they have learned from the California blackouts.

I went digging and found this snippet about Obama energy policy using electricity from Aug. 1st:

He also proposes requiring that 10 percent of U.S. electricity come from renewable sources by the end of the next president's first term and
cutting U.S. demand for electricity 15 percent by the end of the next decade.

I think he is doing his homework.

Thank you for the contribution to the thread this is exactly the kind of response I was hoping to come home to.

Renewable resources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, and waste) currently provide nearly 12 percent of the Nation's electricity
supply. Almost 10 of this 12 percent is provided by hydroelectric resources alone. Biomass and municipal solid waste (MSW) together contribute more
than 1 percent. All other renewable resources, including geothermal, wind, and solar, together provide less than 1 percent of the total.

I don't think we will be building any more major dams and the ones we have are in major need of repair. If we continue to introduce electricity as an
alternative to oil, the demand for electricity will increase also. The outlook doesn't look good either way.

This isn't about Obama or McCain, it is about America. All politics aside I think both need to do some more homework on their energy plan.

I appreciate you bringing this thread to life. I have learned quite a bit.

This explains that modernization of the grid is easier said than done.

How do we get from where we are now, to where we need to be, in a reasonable amount of time?

I am having a very difficult time seeing how this can be done. There are just too many entities and too many funding issues to make a transition from
a neglected old system to a much-improved new system in a reasonable length of time. Our current economic model seeks growth and the maximization of
profits. This economic model does not facilitate large groups of entities working together for the common good.

I don't think we will be building any more major dams and the ones we have are in major need of repair. If we continue to introduce electricity as an
alternative to oil, the demand for electricity will increase also. The outlook doesn't look good either way.

Let's hope for all our sakes that whatever is done to compensate for our oil crisis it is with much thought behind it. I really feel that offshore
drilling is not the answer. Obama wants to drill elsewhere first... we'll see.

This isn't about Obama or McCain, it is about America. All politics aside I think both need to do some more homework on their energy
plan.

I 100% agree with you.

I appreciate you bringing this thread to life. I have learned quite a bit.

thanks... I too am learning more and more and more... If I stop learning what's the point?

For many clean-tech entrepreneurs and investors, these are the sorts of policies they are seeking. A recent poll by Earth2Tech found that a great
majority of clean-tech venture capitalists favor Obama over McCain. His rival, presumed Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, also supports
alternative energies and plug-in vehicles but political coverage of his energy policies focuses on his support for expanded oil drilling and nuclear
power.

I am optimistic that we can make that leap to have clean energy... we need to.

Let's see McCain will make the oil companies rich and Obama will make the renewable energy companies rich.

Bottom line somebody is going to get rich.

Here's the two reason we don't use more renewable energy.

Renewable Energy is Expensive and Capital-Intensive: Renewable energy plants are generally more expensive to build and to operate than coal and
natural gas plants.

Renewable Resources Are Often Geographically Remote: The best renewable resources are often available only in remote areas, so building transmission
lines to deliver power to large metropolitan areas is expensive.

• Invest in a Smart Grid. Achieving these aggressive energy efficiency goals will require significant innovation in the way we transmit
electricity and monitor its use. Obama will pursue a major investment in our national utility grid using smart metering, distributed storage and other
advanced technologies to accommodate 21st century energy requirements: greatly improved electric grid reliability and security, a tremendous increase
in renewable generation and greater customer choice and energy affordability. Obama will establish a Grid Modernization Commission to facilitate
adoption of Smart Grid practices across the nation's electricity grid to the point of general adoption and ongoing market support in the U.S.
electric sector. He will instruct the Secretary of Energy to: (1) establish a Smart Grid Investment Matching Grant Program to provide reimbursement of
one‐fourth of qualifying Smart Grid investments; (2) conduct programs to deploy advanced techniques for managing peak load reductions and energy
efficiency savings on customer premises from smart metering, demand response, distributed generation and electricity storage systems; and (3)
establish demonstration projects specifically focused on advanced technologies for power grid sensing, communications, analysis, and power flow
control, including the integration of demand‐side resources into grid management.

Originally posted by jam321
We have to be optimistic, our future depends on it.

Let's see McCain will make the oil companies rich and Obama will make the renewable energy companies rich.

Bottom line somebody is going to get rich.

Here's the two reason we don't use more renewable energy.

Renewable Energy is Expensive and Capital-Intensive: Renewable energy plants are generally more expensive to build and to operate than coal and
natural gas plants.

Renewable Resources Are Often Geographically Remote: The best renewable resources are often available only in remote areas, so building transmission
lines to deliver power to large metropolitan areas is expensive.

That article you found about Sen. John McCain supporting alternative energies and plug-in vehicles should be commented on along with oil and nuclear
power. Good find.

[edit on 7-8-2008 by jam321]

His rival, presumed Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, also supports alternative energies and plug-in vehicles but political coverage of his
energy policies focuses on his support for expanded oil drilling and nuclear power.

• Invest In A Clean Energy Economy and Help Create 5 Million New Green Jobs. Obama will strategically invest $150 billion over 10 years to
accelerate the commercialization of plug‐in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, encourage energy efficiency, invest
in low emissions coal plants, advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid.
The plan will also invest in America's highly‐skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the
skills and tools they need to pioneer the green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world. All together these investments will
help the private sector create 5 million new green jobs, good jobs that cannot be outsourced.

and

• Create a “Green Vet Initiative”. The renewable energy economy is exploding in the United States. In terms of venture capital alone,
private investment in the sector topped $2.6 billion dollars in 2007. At the same time, more than 837,000 troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are
now veterans. As president, Barack Obama will ensure that more of our veterans can enter the new energy economy. He will create a new “Green Vet
Initiative” that will have two missions: first it will offer counseling and job placement to help veterans gain the skills to enter this rapidly
growing field; second, it will work with industry partners to create career pathways and educational programs.

and

• Create New Job Training Programs for Clean Technologies. The Obama plan will increase funding for federal workforce training programs and
direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, into their efforts to
help Americans find and retain stable, high‐paying jobs. Obama will also create an energy‐focused youth jobs program to invest in disconnected and
disadvantaged youth. This program will provide youth participants with energy efficiency and environmental service opportunities to improve the energy
efficiency of homes and buildings in their communities, while also providing them with practical skills and experience in important career fields of
expected high‐growth employment. Participants will not only be able to use their training to find new jobs, but also build skills that will help
them move up the career ladder over time.

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